Saving a "Cluck"

Today's post is about that unsung hero of the grocery store: the rotisserie chicken.  

There are few better ways to stretch a buck than to buy one of these guys.  I've bought them from the deli/bakery sections of both Lowes Food and Kroger, so I'm assuming most places have them.  Ranging from $6-8, they're more expensive than buying a whole chicken and cooking it yourself, but I'm willing to compromise a few dollars for a lot less effort and time.

And I'm not the only one who feels this way.  Here's an article from a blog Jason reads, The Art of Manliness, sharing all the many uses for a rotisserie chicken.  I've done all kinds of things with rotisseries.  Usually, it begins with eating the chicken as-is on grocery store night and then using the leftovers in a variety of ways.  This past time, I bought the chicken and disassembled and chopped it immediately after I got home from the grocery store.

Here's the meals this past chicken made.  Note, my purpose is not to share my superawesome recipes, but to show one ingredient's versatility.

Chicken Quesadillas
Ingredients: shredded chicken, salsa, sriracha, cumin, garlic powder, tortillas, shredded cheese
Total time: 5 minutes

Jason and I eat some sort of Mexican nearly every week.  On grocery store night night, I took some chopped chicken and tossed it in a bit of salsa, sriracha, cumin (probably my favorite spice), and garlic powder (probably my second-favorite) in a bowl.  Heat tortillas for about 30 seconds in a dry skillet, then add the chicken combo and shredded cheese of your liking.  Top with another tortilla (Jason's quesadilla) or fold original tortilla in half (my quesadilla), and boom.  Dinner's ready before you even know it!

Asian Chicken Salad
Ingredients: chopped chicken, plain Greek yogurt, Asian sesame dressing, shredded carrots,  can of sliced water chestnuts, mukimame, salt, garlic powder, red pepper flakes
Total time: 10 min (best if allowed to chill overnight)

This is actually why I bought the chicken this week.  I wanted a quick, easy, semi-healthy lunch and found this recipe online.  Whisk together Greek yogurt and Asian dressing (sorry no exact amounts... I didn't know I was going to blog about it until afterwards) in a bowl.  Add chicken, carrots, water chestnuts, and mukimame.  Season to taste with salt, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.  Keep in mind that flavors will intensify after a night in the fridge.

No idea what mukimame is?  It's edimame (soybeans) that are out of their pods.  We're in love!  Jason likes them especially for work because they're tasty, superhealthy (fat-free source of protein), and very poppable.

Frozen mukimame -- just pop in microwave for a few minutes and season with salt!

This recipe needs some tweaking, but it served as several tasty lunches this week with Ritz crackers.  Plus, as much as I love chicken salad, it's easy to get in a rut with traditional ones.  This was a nice change in flavor.

Greek Wrap
Ingredients: chopped chicken, diced cucumber and diced (seeded) tomato, Greek yogurt, dill, salt, tortilla, other wrap ingredients (such as cheese or lettuce)
Total time: 10 min

I had some leftover Greek yogurt, so I decided to make one of my favorite lunches.  The night before, dice a seeded tomato (or use halved grape tomatoes) and a cucumber.  Season liberally with salt and dill.  The next day, drain any juice in the mixture (you want it to be as dry as possible).  Stir in Greek yogurt.  Add mixture, chicken, and any other wrap ingredients you'd like onto a tortilla.  Yum!




Stuck in a food rut?  Busy week ahead where lengthy meal preps are an impossibility?  Consider purchasing a rotisserie chicken.